Posts by : Izy Berry

Everyone will gush about how wonderful their adventures were overseas, the people they met, the places they saw and the food they tried. 

Nobody is really open about the fact that it’s hard coming home. When you walk outside, you’re surrounded by the familiar, the normal. There’s little appeal in walking down the streets of your neighborhood in a bid to find something new, because it’s so familiar and you’ve seen it all before. Here in New Zealand everything seems so expensive; even compared to Europe. The weather doesn’t compare to the Spanish sun and everyone speaks English, which is a lot weirder than it sounds right now. 
 

But I need this. I need this time to sit down and figure out the next move.

I need to sit through this uncomfortable discomfort of being home and being still. I need to refocus myself, reevaluate all of my goals. I need to do yoga, run, be on the beach, spend time with friends and family. 

The truth is;  I want this -I’m really happy in Christchurch. I’ve surprised myself by how glad I am to be here and how right this feels. 
 

Whenever I went anywhere and met someone new, they’d hear all about New Zealand and how beautiful it is, and how much they should definitely pay a visit. I’m home now, for a long while, and I want to share with all of you the beauty of New Zealand.
 

In April I lost my camera, which probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but last night I realised it was more like losing my sight. I can still see, but there’s nothing encouraging me to stop, focus and to see the beauty in everything and nothing.

So as soon as I can, I’m buying a new camera and I’m going to invest the time into falling in love with my beautiful country all over again.  

It’s been quiet around here, I got on a plane from Istanbul to Auckland and sort of took a vow of silence, or something. 

Sorry about that… 

I’ve been busy in the background trying to step a little closer to my dream: location independence. 

You see, for the past two years I’ve had an adventure. I’ve learned lots of things, visited amazing places like Angkor Wat and Ha Long Bay, I went to Coachella and volunteered in Cambodia. It’s been really great, but along the way I’ve just funded my travels in the ways I thought were easiest: being an au pair and teaching English overseas. Don’t get me wrong, both experiences were great and I really enjoyed them, but I felt like I could do more. I needed to do more. 
 

Part out of curiosity and part out of desperation (read: my money was running out well before my travels were due to end) I signed up to Elance. I figured I liked writing and it would be cool to get paid for it. I applied for some jobs, exited the window and forgot about it. A few weeks later, I had an accepted proposal, then another and then the ball just seemed to start rolling. 

This week is the first week that I’ve got a full time amount of work and the best thing? My three key projects are ongoing. It feels really good to be working and challenging myself, but above that this work gives me freedom. My employers don’t care (or at least don’t know) if I’m sitting on the couch, in my pajamas eating popcorn while I type away. Nobody knows if I start work at 3pm and then decide to go out for coffee. As long as I get the work done, it doesn’t really matter when. I’m on my own schedule. 

The other thing that’s great is I’m earning western money. I’m earning more than I would working full time in NZ, even if I was  using my degree. But I don’t have to live in NZ – I could leverage this money and save to my heart’s content, for as long as this good fortune lasts. 

So, I’ve been busy thinking, where’s cheap, warm, sunny and somewhere I could live for a little while?

Any suggestions? I’m open.

After almost two years on the road I know how hard it is lugging around all your stuff. I’m currently in Istanbul and I’ve been dragging around a giant red suitcase AND my backpack AND my handbag. Thankfully, earlier in the year I already managed to get my camera stolen, otherwise the load might be unbearable.

I’ve met lots of fellow travels along the way, each of them have their own unique and interesting travel stories. Some of them have stories you simply can’t believe, and then others have stories of pure genius: like how they manage to efficiently donate their items world without a trip to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

As an ode to all the brilliant individuals I’ve met along the way I decided to cultivate:
 

Top Five Ways To Get Your Stuff Stolen

Disclaimer: if you actually like your own possessions, try to do the opposite that this guide suggests. 
 

1) Go to any beach, anywhere (bonus points if it’s somewhere third world, because it will probably take even less time to achieve “possession cleansing”) and place all of your possessions on the sand, bag optional. Run into the sea, spend hours splashing away and bathing. When you return, you should find only an outline of where your belongings were, etched into the sand. 

Optional: for an authentic “off the beaten track experience” ensure that all of your cash cards, emergency cash and passports were left on the sand for free taking. 
 

2) When you board a train with allocated seats, put your belongings in your allotted carriage. When you feel it’s time to ditch your stuff, change carriages and fall asleep. You’ll wake up in an unintended country (say, Germany) while your possessions will make their way to the Czech Republic. After purchasing a new ticket to Prague, you’ll make it a day later than your belongings, giving the helpful Bag Weight Alleviators to work their magic and up lift your brand new laptop, cold weather clothing, spare cash, new shoes and basically anything else of worth that you recently purchased. Easy. 
 

3) When in Marseille, France drive around (as passenger) in your rental car with your possessions on the ground. Leave the door unlocked, because we want to make it as easy as possible for possession cleansing to take place. When at an intersection, a man will swiftly open the door and uplift some of your favourite things. Shock will paralyze you, ensuring that you are unable to prevent the removal of your heavy, unnecessary items: such as your camera and phone. 

4) If you find yourself in Los Angeles, pressed for time, ensure that you find a valet parking service. Now, it may sound bizarre to pay for a car minding service that also uplifts some of your more valuable items, but it is a great business model, at least on their side. Place expensive dSLR in a plain black bag, in the passenger’s foot area; this way it isn’t too hidden to provide a challenge for them, but it isn’t insulting to their uplifting skills. Upon return of the vehicle, be sure to pay them for their usual services and to tip generously, for they have really done a fantastic, efficient job. 
 

5) If you’re Barcelona alone, wandering around with your smartphone as your GPS and a man approaches you asking if you need help, definitely give him your phone. That way he can plant a kiss on your cheek before running into the darkness with your phone. This brings a whole new, more expensive meaning to the phrase “tap and gap”. 

*All based on true stories, including my own misfortune 
 

Anyone else had anything stolen while they were off exploring? I’d love to hear your stories. 

When you travel, there’s no right or wrong destination; just options.

Sometimes, especially when you’ve got time constraints, it’s possible to get overwhelmed by options.

I was trying to choose between Lake Bled, Slovenia and Plitvice Lakes, in Croatia.  

Fate would have it that it was easier to get to Zagreb and onto Plitvice than to lake Bled.

So it was decided.

Although I was devastated not to make it to Dubrovnik and beyond, this was a pretty good consolation.

I have some serious unfinished business in Croatia. It was hard to leave a country longing to see more.

Is there anywhere you’ve been that’s top of your “to return” list? 

I decided it was time to sit down and articulate what I want from life.

First of all, I want to wake up in locations like this more often. 

Secondly, I want to follow my dreams.

When I went back to New Zealand I got wound up in emotions, met someone who took me by surprise and it was all wonderful. But after leaving, while I realised that particular person was special and someone I could see myself being with, I realised that I wouldn’t get to do it on my terms.

Compromise is a fact of life, but not really something I’m particularly interested in at this stage. Maybe it’s being selfish, maybe it’s being silly, but I just have so many things I want to do in life and I can’t imagine someone else fitting perfectly into the picture.

I am FOREVER ALONE.
At least for now. 

In the past few weeks I started freelance writing and am now earning enough to travel contiously. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m really enjoying it for now and have a few ongoing jobs that I think would cover me for a long time…

So that found me in an interesting position – I have one-way flight back to New Zealand at a time I probably wouldn’t have chosen if I was the only factor. I contemplated canceling it, postponing it, staying on in Istanbul and volunteering and pushing this freelance writing for all that its worth, but then I remembered an important quote that I like to keep fresh on my mind, always:

There is time for everything

At least everything you want to make time for. So, I can go back to Istanbul later and do that if I want to.  

So what am I thinking? I am going to use that flight to New Zealand, i’m going to see my friends and family, sort out my affairs, do some traditional work (too) in order to boost up my travel fund good and proper and then I’m going to bolt.

The next trip I take, I want it to be with the intention of relocating somewhere else. I want to LIVE overseas for a decent period of time, set up my own social group, have my own flat/apartment and get under the skin of the city I choose.

I have a few options in mind and I’d love any feedback on them. My plan is to be able to save, so I’m looking for somewhere on the cheaper side of things, bonus points if the native language is Spanish, though I’m considering hiring myself a Skype teacher so I can continue my Spanish anywhere.  

Chiang Mai, Thailand – cheap, warm, good expat community, great food 
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia – cheap, warm, awesome vibe, good expat community, amazing yoga barn 
Buenos Aires, Argentina – never been, but I know I wold love this city, it’s a bit more expensive than the other places, but Spanish! 
Costa Rica – formally an expat haven, they speak spanish, ideal climate, a good location for exploring more of central America
Somewhere, India – cheap, somewhere I would love to volunteer, great food
Mexico – cheap, great food, good climate, Spanish
La Paz, Bolivia – I’ve always been obsessed with visiting Bolivia, I don’t know why. I’d love to volunteer there, they speak Spanish, it seems to be a lot cheaper than Argentina and Chile
Berlin, Germany – I love Berlin, can apply for a freelance visa if my work is still solid by then, and it’s one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been to, but there’s no way I’m going anywhere near it until winter’s over.

So that’s my list of main contesters, if I’m missing anything, let me know! I’d love some suggestions. I don’t think I’ll be moving overseas for another 3-6 months, so I’ve got some time to build up some funds and make some plans. 

In the mean time I’m off to Vienna next week, Croatia, Bulgaria and Turkey – it’s gonna be an intense few weeks, but the perfect way to say goodbye to two years of solid adventure. 

(Here’s to the next two…)  

One of the questions I always get about my long-term travel is “How do you afford to travel so long?” – well, it’s a twofold answer. Firstly, when travel is your priority you’ll find yourself putting every spare penny towards it. You’ll start sacrificing materialistic things in order to save for your world trip. Secondly, you can always find a job overseas that allows you to live in a foreign country and to use it as a base to explore.
 

Europe is one of the best places to base yourself because there are such a great variety of countries nearby and it’s easy to plan exciting weekend trips away. If you’re looking to move overseas for a while, the first thing you’ll have to ask yourself is what kind of work you’d like to do. One of the most obvious job choices for native English speakers is teaching English overseas – it’s in high demand in almost every country. 
 
 

Finding an English teaching job overseas can be intimidating, especially if it’s a field you haven’t worked in. The first thing you’ll need to figure out is whether you’re eligible to teach English in Europe. Usually as a minimum employers will want someone who is a native English speaker and someone who has at least an undergraduate degree (in English or Teaching is a definite bonus).

Do I need a TEFL to teach abroad?

If you are serious about teaching English overseas, you will find that obtaining a TEFL, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, certificate will increase your chances of landing a good job. TEFL, TESOL or CELTA are the most popular certificates you can obtain, but before you invest money and time into them, it is a good idea first to decide which country you would like to work in. Some positions would require this certification, but employers usually want experience teaching or certification. 
 

Where can I Teach English in Europe?

At the moment there is a strong demand for English teachers in Spain, France, The United Kingdom and Georgia. I taught English in the Czech Republic for six months and really enjoyed the central location to explore the surrounding countries. After returning home for a brief stunt, I spent six weeks living in Madrid, Spain. For someone who is from such an isolated country, living in Europe is an incredible opportunity to explore surrounding countries and your new adopted country. Traveling to Europe doesn’t have to be expensive; you can find a lot of cheap Air Canada flights to get to Europe. 

If you chose to teach English in France you would be bordering a number of interesting countries: Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium and Italy making it possible to spend weekends or holidays abroad without spending a fortune on flights. While it seems a bit unusual to move to the United Kingdom to teach English, many people from other countries move there in order to learn English so there is an abundance of jobs there. The UK would be the obvious choice for someone who wants to live overseas, but isn’t ready to commit to being immersed in a country where there might be a language barrier. Georgia is high on my travel list; I haven’t visited yet, but I have heard that it is an exceptionally beautiful country filled with the most hospitable and generous people. Maybe in future I will consider living there as it would be an incredible cultural experience.

Interested but not sure where to start? 

Steps for securing an ESL job to teach English in Europe:

1) Narrow down the country/countries you are interested in working in

2) Browse TeacherHit for teaching jobs in Europe to decide what qualifications are required for your chosen country and to find current job listings for English teachers overseas

3) Do an online or in person TEFL, TESOL or CELTA course to improve your teaching skills

4) Start your individual job applications for the positions in the countries that interest you most
 
 

Beyond the bonus of being able to travel around a new country and continent, teaching English in Europe where it is not the native language gives you the opportunity to learn or improve a new language yourself. If you’re interested in learning Spanish, then Spain would be an obvious choice for a place to live and work for a year. On the same note, there would be no better place in the world to learn French, than in France, perhaps Paris or Nice – the options are endless! When I was living in Madrid I took an introductory Spanish course and found it really helpful. In future I’d love to move back to Spain to teach English and continue my Spanish learning. 

Have you ever taught English overseas? Have you taught English in Europe? What was your experience like? 

If you have any questions about teaching English in Europe feel free to post them below, I’m happy to help. 

Maybe that was a bit of a hyperbole, but it is cool. 

We took a road trip from Rota, Spain, to Gibraltar. After finding a car park on the Spanish side, with barely a blink at our passports we casually walked across the border. The first hint that we were in another country? Tacky taxi vans with faded photos of the Queen’s Jubilee. The second sign? An abundance of public toilets, something Spain just doesn’t seem to understand. 
 

It seems weird to base an entire country around a rock, but it is a pretty grand rock.
 

After walking through the centre we decided to take a little mini bus part way up to the top of Gibraltar. Instead of taking the cable car, which I had deemed too expensive, we clambered to the top of the caves, paying the 10 pound entry fee. I didn’t find the caves to be particularly exciting, perhaps if you were more knowledgable about history you would find them more interesting. I was holding out for the monkeys, perhaps the only motivation for me climbing up the hill. There was a beautiful view over Gibraltar and  the tip of Spain.

Because Gibraltar is so small and space is so precious, the airport’s runway goes across a main road, completely closing it off when a plane is due to take off or land. 
 

I made the mistake of assuming there would be water to buy near the caves, but there wasn’t. So we slowly dragged ourselves further up the rock, preserving the little water we had left in the extreme heat. By the time we made it to the cable car’s cafe, I’m certain all three of us were on the brink of heat exhaustion – not our finest hour. 
 

The view were incredible and I got my cute monkey fix. 
 

As the evening melted into sunset, we made our way to a beach where I tried to take a belated siesta (also known as a homeless nap on the beach).  
 

I think a day trip was long enough to enjoy Gibraltar and I don’t feel a pressing need to return. Have you ever visited?  

When you walk around the streets of Fes or Marrakech, you don’t see as many woman as men. When you do see woman, they’re usually covered from head to toe, sometimes so much as to only see their eyes peering through colourful scarves. It’s a conservative Muslim society, where from the outside woman don’t seem to have as many rights as men. It is surprising when you see tourists walking around in short shorts and tiny vests, complaining about the attention the men give them – I wonder what they expected. As a general rule, men in Morocco are much more conservative than their Western counterparts, and as such, you should dress accordingly.

So my travel friend and I decided to make a conscious effort to cover up, to be respectful of the locals so that we could command respect ourselves. We tried, despite sweltering temperatures sometimes exceeding 48 degrees, to keep from ankle to wrist covered in fabric. Still the attention came, but I think it was muted by our efforts. Rarely annoying, except one pesky ass-grab, we began to see the humor in the oddly worded “compliments” that were being thrown at us. Some highlights include:

Take care for your eyes
You smell good and have a good heart, so a good price for you
You have a Moroccan face
Five thousand camels for you
You are a lovely size
Best of the best

My absolute favourite:

I can’t give you a camel, but I’ll give you my heart. 

Damn. I was really hoping for a camel, or two.

I think if you look on the bright side of the attention it’s absolutely hilarious. What’s the funniest thing you’ve been called overseas? In Thailand I was always called Marmite (a New Zealand/Australian breakfast spread)

How did I go from walking around a little expensive garden in Marrakech to being taken to a local Berber house in the Atlas mountains by a Moroccan man? It all started with a complaint. 

I’d heard great things about Yves Saint Laurent’s gardens, Majorelle Garden. So my friend and I decided to venture to that side of town to check them out. Our guide book had suggested it would be 30 Dirhams, just shy of 3 euros – expensive for Morocco, but not too bad for lush gardens. Once again, the two year old book was way off, leading us to be disappointed again. For 50 Dirhams I knew that it was not a place that local Moroccans would visit and wondered if it was worthwhile. I asked some girls who were just leaving whether it was worth it and they couldn’t really say, but said it was very lovely. 
 

“It’s so expensive” I said, in the general direction of some Moroccan men, but mostly to my friend. We decided after traveling to see the gardens, it would in fact be a shame not to see them. So we went in, walked around, and while it was lovely and quite beautiful we came to the conclusion I had suspected; it simply wasn’t worth the price. 

We sat on a seat and decided to spend some time just enjoying the peaceful contrast to Marrakech, when eventually a man, Jamal, came up to us and asked whether it was worth the price we paid. We were frank and told him although the gardens were beautiful, we would never come again and never suggest out friends would too. Then I asked him a question, he hadn’t thought of before. I asked why the gardens weren’t a more reasonable price, one that the average Moroccan could afford? Shouldn’t they be able to enjoy their own gardens? He agreed and from that comment stemmed a conversation that stretched the edges of our culture.  
 

I asked what he thought about all the tourists who were wearing skimpy clothing, short shorts and crop tops that showed off their bellies, and to my surprise he said it didn’t bother him too much. There was a line of course, where it became a little bit too much and a little too disrespectful, but for the most part he didn’t mind when tourists didn’t cover up. I was surprised, because the Moroccan woman I have seen have been covered from shoulder to toe, right down to the palms of their hands.  I asked him what he thought about covering a woman’s face up so only her eyes are visible. It turns out the average Moroccan man isn’t so interested in that kind of dress anymore and often it’s the woman who has grown up that way who wants to follow her tradition. 
 

As he was leaving the gardens, he gave me his email address and said if we were interested he would be happy to take us out to dinner later this evening. We decided to walk to a supermarket and a few minutes later he drove past asking if we wanted a ride, we obliged. He said he was going to do some business and would be traveling back the other way and could give us a lift back to the central square. Mid way through our walk back we heard tooting and saw his enthusiastic face in the car waiting to help us once again. He dropped us off and suggested we meet there again at 6.30pm that night for dinner.
 

And we did, and the dinner was nothing short of  amazing. He ordered vegetarian things for us to try, as Ava is vegetarian and compared to the bland dinner we had the night previous, everything was so flavorsome and delicious.  He told us that he was writing a book about himself that could only be released after his death. Intrigued, we asked him to tell us stories that would be included. He shared one that made our eyebrows raise involving a German man which he ended up staying with for two weeks. He stressed that he’s not rich, but travel is his absolute priority. He collects experiences, not things. He spent four years teaching French and Arabic in Japan and has really been all over.

Our dinner stretched out past 11, where tiredness crept in before we could have ever got bored and we decided to go home. He invited us the following day to join him on a trip to a Berber village and we did. I’ll write a blog post about that in a few days, but for now I just wanted to show how travel can be when you’re open. When Jamal  first approach us about whether we were enjoying it, we could have easily answered his question and then brushed him off. When we were at dinner, I laughed at the simple fact that we were enjoying a dinner at a place we’d never known about because of a simple, passing, complaint. I also suggested that if complaining would bring me such great fortune, I should do it more often. 

Maybe because you have more free time, or maybe because you’re more open, when you’re traveling these kind of experiences tend to happen more often. These deep insights into the lives of others, people you would have never met otherwise.  I love meeting locals, it is one of the main reasons I travel and this experience was nothing short of wonderful. 
 

Have you ever been invited into the life of a random on a trip? I’d love to hear more about it.